A high-roller and a private lender, the 40-year-old Markham woman disappeared without touching a sum of cash inside her rented condominium, where she resided with her teenage son. Her purple Porsche Cayenne was found outside a nearby plaza.

Suspicious from the outset, the case took on a decidedly more sinister overtone Tuesday as the York Regional Police homicide unit announced it had taken control of the investigation.

“There are obviously clear indications that she meant to carry on with life,” Detective Alvaro Almeida said, noting there has been no activity on Ms. Lin’s bank accounts or her passport since she was last seen on April 21. “She was planning a family vacation [to Europe] and was making plans with friends for the weeks to come.”

Two days after her disappearance, police found Ms. Lin’s vehicle outside a Richmond Hill commercial plaza, where residents often park before boarding buses for area casinos. But that is where the trail seems to have gone dead. There was no sign of a struggle; just the car, empty of a purse or other personal effects.

Ms. Lin’s cellphone vanished along with her, and there has been no activity on it since.

At this point, Constable Rebecca Boyd said, investigators “can’t seem to find any clues,” despite a series of interviews with Ms. Lin’s friends, family and business associates.

“Investigators have interviewed absolutely everybody that they can think of that was in her life, so right now our appeal is for people to come forward who might know her… that maybe we’ve missed,” Const. Boyd said.

Other than Ms. Lin’s 14-year-old son, she did not have any family in Canada, though police have been in touch with her mother and brother in China. Little is known about Ms. Lin’s life, beyond her gambling and lending habits. Authorities say she was “well known” to the VIP sections of casinos in Montreal and southwestern Ontario, including Fallsview and Casino Rama.

Before her disappearance, Ms. Lin was known to play a lot of baccarat, frequenting the casinos once or twice a week; she was often seen in areas with minimum wagers of $500, Det. Almeida added.

Casino Rama spokeswoman Jenna Hunter could not provide any comment on Ms. Lin, or even confirm whether she attended the facility, citing privacy laws.

“It’s a terrible story,” Ms. Hunter said.

Ms. Lin was unemployed but had access to large sums of money, police said, and extended loans to people in the community and casino players. She disappeared without taking a sum of cash at her Markham home and additional funds in a safety deposit box.

“It is kind of odd that one would leave that kind of cash lying around… That’s why we’re concerned,” Det. Almeida said.

While Ms. Lin was in a relationship at the time of her disappearance, police said, it was not with her son’s father, who lived in China. Ms. Lin, a permanent resident of Canada, has been in the country an estimated 10 years.

Her brother in China was planning to come to Markham to make a plea on Ms. Lin’s behalf, police said, while her 14-year-old son remained in the custody of a friend. “Fear of the unknown” may be preventing other friends and family members from speaking publicly about Ms. Lin’s disappearance, Det. Almeida said.

“They don’t know if she’s gone on her own accord or if something’s happened to her,” he said.

Ms. Lin is described as Chinese with a light complexion, 5-foot-3, 119 pounds, a thin build, shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, black sweater and black skirt.

Police have asked anyone with information on the case to contact the homicide unit in York Region or Crime Stoppers.

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